Are the Edmonton Oilers Finally Settling In?

It’s taken a while, but the Edmonton Oilers are finally starting to look like the team everyone expected them to be. They lost 4-3 in a shootout to a strong Dallas Stars team last night, but it was on a back-to-back, and the lineup looked tired as the game wore on. After all, it was the Oilers’ second overtime game in a row.

Through the first ten games, it felt like a blender—new faces in and out of the lineup, shifting lines, and a coach trying to find something that clicked. The veterans were quiet, the newcomers looked lost, and every night felt like a new experiment.

Sportsnet Analysts Luke Gazdic and David Amber Discussed the Oilers’ Season

But as Sportsnet’s Luke Gazdic and David Amber pointed out during the first intermission against Dallas, something’s beginning to settle. The Oilers have started to find their rhythm, especially through that second line built around Leon Draisaitl, Vasily Podkolzin, and newcomer Jack Roslovic. What once looked like a puzzle is now forming edges.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch has been hammering home the idea of creating chances off the rush—the kind of fast, east-west movement that opens up the ice. Against Dallas, early in the game, the team looked good on their rush chances, so the message clearly stuck. On one highlight shift, Roslovic protected the puck perfectly over the blue line and slid a pass cross-ice for a Podkolzin goal. It was exactly the type of goal Knoblauch had been preaching about.

Who’s Playing Well for the Oilers?

Roslovic’s emergence with the Oilers has been both a surprise and a key. He doesn’t need to be flashy, just reliable. He finishes chances, stays responsible defensively, and complements the stars. As long as he keeps doing that, the Oilers’ depth problem looks a little less scary.

And at the top? Leon Draisaitl has already scored 10 goals, tied for the league lead. Connor McDavid’s playmaking is starting to hum again. You can feel that familiar swagger coming back to the Oilers’ bench—the one that says, “we can hang with anyone.”

After a chaotic start, Edmonton is rediscovering what works: structure, speed, and belief. It’s not perfect, but for the first time this season, it’s starting to feel sustainable.